2-17-2007 Weekend with Sony

Eva and I decided that, because there is so much hype around Valentine’s day and, since the day is fairly arbitrary (sure you can make the Hallmark argument that the 14th is the day of Saint Valentine but the whole holiday was sort of invented anyways), we would celebrate Valentine’s day on the 15th. OK, in actuality we are just cheap and did not want to spend $30 on a dozen sad looking roses. We had plans to go to LACMA and then out to dinner, but those sort of got derailed when an opportunity presented itself at the oncologist’s office. I went in for some blood work and, after I commented on how soft Sony’s coat was, Dr. Isacoff asked if I wanted to take him for the weekend. I immediately said yes as I knew how much Eva had wanted a dog when she was a kid and how much she loves Sony. After my blood was drawn, Dr. Isacoff and I went down to his car to gather Sony’s belongings. Sony does not travel light. We had a doggie bed, and two bags full of food, toys, and treats. I got some simple instructions, “1/3 of a can of dog food, twice a day, cut it up into Sony size bites, and microwave it for 11 seconds, he usually poops twice a day, morning and night, but he will let you know, treat him like a baby and you will have no problems” and off Sony and I went. He is so trusting, I really do not think he would mind if he was dog-napped.

When I got home I called Eva to make sure that she was going to come home for lunch and then Sony sort of explored the apartment and got used to his new surroundings. About an hour after I got home, Dr. Isacoff called to check in. “You two still alive?” he inquired. “Yup, no problem.” I replied trying to hide the insecurity in my voice. I was just beginning to realize that this really was like caring for a baby and that I basically had zero experience in that role. Adding to the intensity was that this was not just anyone’s dog, but my oncologist’s dog. He basically has my life in his hands and I would really like to stay on his good side.

A bit after 12, Eva came home and was greeted by a little furry bundle of joy. She was noticeably excited and began playing with Sony. About 10 minutes later, I got my “good to see you for lunch” kiss. I made sure that I had done the right thing by bringing Sony home, and she just nodded with a big smile on her face. We ate a little lunch and played with the dog some more and then, sadly, Eva had to go back to work.

Thursday evening, we took Sony on a walk to the grocery store and stocked up on food for ourselves. Eva and I always made fun of those people who are obsessed with their dogs, but it only took a few hours for our lives to be consumed by Sony. He became the focal point of a majority of our conversations and we were constantly watching or playing with him. Friday morning, Sony got us up at 5:30am and let us know that he needed to go outside. I threw a jacket on and took him out. I had not been up before the sun in quite a while and was a little surprised that it was still dark.

The energy of the dog itself was not the only thing adding to the excitement of having Sony around, our building does not allow pets. Every time we needed to go in or out of the building with Sony, it was like a little smuggling operation. In figuring out the best way to get him in and out, we tried backpacks, shopping bags, and finally my travel bag. That seemed t be the ticket as Sony actually really liked it in there and would occasionally go into it of his own accord when it was just lying around the apartment. This was a good bag for smuggling, as he totally fit inside and was fairly comfortable, but Sony did not really understand the idea of staying still or quiet during the little operations. He liked being in the bag but always wanted to have his head out so he could see where we were going. He didn’t ever bark while in the bag but he sort of has this grumble that sounds like he is snoring and that would sort of give away that there was something alive in the bag. We were doing really well until we went out for lunch on Friday. On the way back, our manager was walking into the building just in front of us. He held the door for Eva and though we were a little behind, we were almost sure he saw us. It has been a few days, and he has not said anything, so hopefully we are in the clear. We felt a little bad as he sort of helped us get our new apartment. Anyways, we decided we had better head down to San Pedro instead of smuggling Sony around all weekend.

When we got down to San Pedro, my parents were really excited to see Sony and Sony just loved all the attention. He even liked my dad who has not had a very good track record with canines. Probably the most hilarious aspect of the new setting was the combination of Sony with the wood floors. It did not look like Sony has had too much experience with such a slippery surface, as there were a few small crashes when Sony was getting used to the house. We had to make sure not to throw a toy too close to the dinning room table or the wall or you were just setting Sony up for a collision. After about a day, he sort of figured out the idea of slowing down before getting to within inches of the various obstacles.

Sony is an incredibly easy dog in a lot of ways but also a very attention needy dog as well. He is remarkably mellow and accepting of new people and adjusted to staying with us really well. Then again, it always seems that once you start doing something that does not include him, he gets restless. He also seems to like high places, which was a little interesting to me as he is quite a little dog. It probably is related to his curious nature as he is probably interested in what is on the table as well as what he can see from the higher vantage point.

Between just is cute little face, adorable antics, and wonderful personality, Sony melted our hearts in the short amount of time we got to spend with him. It was really fun taking him out on walks as well as playing with him around the house. Eva and I got a little taste of parenthood and would find ourselves getting anxious if we did not know exactly where he was. Of course there were not so fun times, too, like picking up poop at 5:30 in the morning, but overall, Sony was just great to have around and hopefully we will get to take care of him again sometime.

As far as me, I am doing well and am off of chemo for a short break. I will resume Xeloda next Thursday and resume chemo the week after. Having the dog around definitely got my mind off of the cancer and kept a smile on my face. On Saturday, I went on a longer bike ride with my father- once around the peninsula, 22 miles. Riding the bike is one of the only activities that I can do for an extended period of time and it felt really good to sweat a bit. I still feel basically normal and am very thankful for that. The window into parenthood that Sony provided was also something of a catalyst to keep focused on beating this disease and hopefully having the opportunity to be a parent one day.
-TN